Allan Houston was shocked that TNT commentator Danny Ainge would question why he did not return to last night’s loss to the Lakers in the second half.

Houston banged his wrist in the first quarter. He needed X-rays, which came back negative. Ainge brushed off the diagnosis that Houston sustained a bruised right wrist and stated he didn’t want to go back into a game that was turning into a Laker laugher.

“I don’t know him and he doesn’t know me,” Houston said after the Knicks’ 114-109 loss. “If he was judging me for not playing because of the score, he doesn’t know me because I don’t miss games.”

In fact, Houston has been the Knicks’ iron horse this season, failing to miss a single game. Houston said he was concerned he may not be fully healthy after the five-day All-Star break. The Knicks don’t play again until Wednesday vs. Golden State.

“Last time I had this it took five days during the Olympics before I could play,” Houston said.

Houston said he knew he was too hurt to play when he missed two free throws in the second quarter. He leads the league in free-throw percentage (93 percent).

“It really tightened up at halftime,” Houston said. “It kind of locked up on me.”

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Jeff Van Gundy was conveniently missing from Garden courtside when TNT broadcast last night’s game against the Lakers – the Knicks’ first appearance this season on the network.

According to a friend, the former Knick coach still felt uncomfortable and saw it as inapproprioate to work a Knicks game this season and TNT had no problem with it before the season. The Knicks hold his contractual rights until summer. One rumor had it that the Knicks brass requested he not do TNT’s Knicks game.

A TNT spokesman said the first team of Van Gundy, Marv Albert and Mike Fratello requested the week off because they were doing Sunday’s All-Star Game on TNT. Van Gundy is expected to make his first appearance at a Knicks game Feb. 28th when Patrick Ewing‘s “33” is retired to the Garden rafters.